SAN JOSE -- Police have arrested a relative in the death of a 28-year-old San Jose mother of three young daughters who was found stabbed Tuesday in an apartment behind Regional Medical Center in East San Jose.

Gabriel Alejo, 22, of San Jose, was arrested Wednesday in the killing of Teresa Maravilla, according to police. He was described as having family ties with the victim.

Officers were called just before 3 p.m. Tuesday to the 100 block of Jose Figueres Avenue, between Alum Rock and Luz avenues, after a neighbor discovered a wounded Maravilla. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Further details about the case were not released, including a motive for the killing, which marked the city's 13th homicide of the year.

Gabriel Alejo, 22, is suspected of fatally stabbing his relative, 28-year-old Teresa Maravilla, in her East San Jose apartment on April 29, 2014.
(
San Jose Police Dept.
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Maravilla was a married mother of three with twin 8-year-old daughters and an infant girl. Her school-aged children attend a Rocketship elementary charter school.

"We are all terribly saddened by his tragic loss and the entire school is coming together to do what little we can to help the family," Drew Sarratore, the principal at the Rocketship campus the girls attend, said in a statement. "This is something none of us as adults can ever prepare for, and it's even harder when we have to explain it to the children. Ours is a close-knit community and everyone is hurting right now. The best thing we all can do is something together and meaningful for the family."

Assistant principal Amy Zapatka remembered Maravilla as an engaged parent who was active in her kids' education and lives.

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"She was a wonderful and caring mother," Zapatka said. "This has been a tough week for us."

Zapatka said Maravilla's daughters are back in school in the wake of their mother's death in part because of the support system they have there.

"The girls chose to be in school. They just wanted to be in a familiar environment surrounded by their peers and friends," she said. "Our school has become a central hub for family and friends of the family. Our community has rallied together."

San Jose police investigate a homicide on Jose Figueres Avenue in San Jose , April 29, 2014. (Patrick Tehan, Bay Area News Group)

Anyone with information about the case can contact Detective Sgt. Raul Martinez or Detective John Barg at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or with svcrimestoppers.org.